ABBOTSFORD PUBLIC SCHOOLS HISTORY

The beginning of the public school system in Abbotsford goes back to 1873 when the Wis. Central Railroad Company extended its line into what is now Abbotsford, and a few settlers formed a community. School was first held in a small room on the main street in the year 1879 or 1880. Rapid growth of the community made it essential that enlarged and more permanent facilities for conducting school be provided.

In 1885, a two-story frame building was erected on the site of the new addition to the present Elementary School. Apparently, the school at this time was not a “graded school”, and children were promoted or retained by a system of “readers”. The annual report of 1889 by the Clark County Superintendent of Schools, R.J. Sawyer, states that “Abbotsford was preparing to form a graded school.”

In 1889, a two room addition gave the village a four room school which was considered to be adequate for many years. This was not the case however, and more room was soon needed. Rental of a room in the Kalb Building, which was situated on the site now occupied by the Hutt Electric Company, solved the problem temporarily. The primary grades were housed in this room until 1900, when a small building was excavated just to the northwest of the large structure.

In 1901, the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company moved its division points here from Chippewa Falls and Stevens Point, which caused a virtual doubling of the population. Overcrowded conditions of school facilities made it necessary to have a split-shift in school attendance in the primary grades, half of the students attending in the morning and the other half in the afternoon.

When the State Education Inspector made his first visit after the school was recognized as a “state graded school” in 1902, recommendations were made for various improvements – heating, ventilating, and sanitation. Growing discontent of the people, particularly the new residents from Chippewa Falls and Stevens Point, regarding the school plant and quality of the offerings led the Board of Education to call a special meeting of the voters in June 1904. The voters authorized the Board, composed of M.W. Delap, L.J. Seegar, and A.E. Everts, to proceed with plans to erect a new brick school at a total cost of $13,000. Work on the new building began on Sept. 1, 1904 and the cornerstone was laid on Oct. 24, 1904. Henry E. Polley was the School Principal at the time. With the occupancy of the new school in September 1905, the older buildings were moved from the property. The one-room building which housed the primary grades was made into a dwelling and is now occupied by Carl Erickson Jr. on Butternut Street. The original two-room building was moved to a point almost directly north of the present Joe Schilling home on Butternut Street and was converted into a stanchion factory. The addition was moved to the center of the village where it became the Village Hall and remained as such until its razing in the summer of 1958.

At this point in the development of the school system, the graded school arrangement was in operation for the first eight grades, but additional work on the ninth and perhaps tenth grade level was offered. Students wishing to complete high school did so, apparently, at Colby. Action was soon taken, after the completion of the new school, to secure a charter for a high school in Abbotsford. On June 4, 1906, Miss Anna E. Schaeffer of the State Department of Education inspected the school and found 25 resident pupils qualified to do high school work. The State Superintendent of Schools then issued a Certificate of Organization. Twelve years later, in 1918, the school published its first year book.

This building housed the entire grade school and high school enrollment from 1904 until 1939. Ever increasing enrollment again produced an overcrowded condition beginning in about 1935. At the annual meeting in July 1938, the voters empowered the Board of Education, consisting of Hans J. Amacher, Frank Beil, and Dr. G. G. Schields, to borrow the necessary funds to proceed with the construction of a new high school building. Total cost of the building was $65,000, of which $30,000 was received as a grant from the federal government. S.J. Paynter was the Supervising Principal at the time.

The new and enlarged facilities greatly improved the education offerings of the district, and for the first time, elementary and high school students were housed in separate buildings. While classrooms were adequate, progress in education demanded that space be provided for physical education and a school lunch program. The Armory had been used for athletic events up to this time.

In 1951, the voters approved an addition to the high school which included a gymnasium, shower and dressing room, an athletic equipment room, an additional classroom, a kitchen and a lunchroom. The Board of Education consisted of Hans J. Amacher, V.B. Hemphill, and Walter Jackson, with Herbert Juneau as Supervising Principal. Ground was broken for the $120,000 structure in April 1952.

A full-time kindergarten was added in 1958, which again brought about a need for larger facilities. In 1959-60 a series of studies regarding the possible consolidation of several schools in the area was begun. By July 1961 the districts of Abbotsford, Dorchester, and outlying areas were dissolved and joined into the common school district to be known as Dor-Abby. Abbotsford and Dorchester each operated a high school and students were bussed to either school, depending upon their choice of curriculum. Other school in operation in the newly created Dor-Abby district included an elementary school in each community, Curtiss, Brady, Pleasant Hill and Wright Schools.

With the school merger, the colors became red, black and white, with the student body selecting a “Falcon” as their mascot. Before the merger, Dorchester mascot was a “Red Devil” with their colors red and white, while Abbotsford’s colors were orange and black and their mascot a “Panther.”

In July 1962 when J.C. LaPlant was hired to fulfill the position of administrator, Dor-Abby was reorganized to operate the High School at Abbotsford and the Junior High at Dorchester. Planning began on the new school expansion program to bring in all students from outlying areas. Various proposals were made concerning possible sites and buildings needed to facilitate the enlarge district. Dor-Abby continued in operation until 1964 when the northern part of the district was detached and became part of the Colby district.

Herbert Scidmore became administrator of the remaining portion of the Abbotsford School District and plans continued for a building program. In August 1964 the electors approved a loan to build a new Junior-Senior High School on the present site, just north of the athletic field near the northwestern edge of the city. Construction began on the new building in May 1965, and was completed and ready for occupancy by the spring of 1966. The old high school was remodeled into an elementary school. In June, when the old grade school was razed, an addition consisting of six classrooms was extended to the south over the site of the old grade building. Total cost of the building program was $900,000. The Board of Education at this time consisted of Ray Holtz, Marvin Busse, L.F. Loucks, Vear Dean Laabs, Art Weideman, Dan Decker and Richard Polnaszek.

When the 1966-67 school year began, facilities in the new addition of the Elementary School were not yet completed. Class for kindergarten, first, and second grades were conducted in the basement of the Christ Lutheran Church and in the City Hall. Occupancy of the new building took place in early November.

These facilities have served the community to the present time. On Feb. 26, 1973, the electors of the district approved a shop and swimming pool addition to the Junior-Senior High School. The present Board of Education is composed of Marvin Busse, John J. Nikolay, Eugene Blair, Vear Dean Laabs, L. F. Loucks, Arthur Weideman and Andrew Ruszek. Harold Mills is the present School Administrator. There are 802 students enrolled in Kindergarten through Grade 12, served by 39 teachers, 2 part-time teachers, 2 teacher’s aides, two building principals and one administrator.

Dor-Abby High School Choir

One of the highlights while Dor-Abby was in existence was a concert tour which Included the U.S. Capitol at Washington, D.C., several east coast cities and the New York World’s Fair. It all began when Dor-Abby received a letter from the New York World’s Fair Corporation, inviting the 74 voice ACapella choir to sing at the fair. The invitation came as a result of a recommendation by the judge of the 1963 district music contest in which the choir took top honors. It was necessary for the community to raise $15,000 to make the 2,500 mile tour a reality. Once this was accomplished, the departure date was set for May 9.

The group traveled to Toledo, Ohio and on to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania where they visited the Farm of former President Eisenhower and the Civil War battlefield. From there they proceeded to Washington, D.C., had breakfast with Representative Melvin Laird and performed a concert at the Capitol Building. After visiting the White House, the memorials, Mt. Vernon and Arlington National Cemetery, they traveled to Philadelphia to Independence Square. Their performance at the World’s Fair was held at Flushing Meadow Park in the Tipparrillo Pavilion, an acoustically designed ball, specially built for concerts. While in New York City they viewed points of interest such as the Statue of Liberty, the United Nations Building and the Empire State Building. They also attended a concert by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the fair’s stage production “Wonder World”.

Upon their return on May 16, about 20 cars of parents and friends met the choir’s chartered buses at Spencer and led them home in procession, complete with police escort. A brief welcoming ceremony followed at the big school.

Credit for this great accomplishment must go to the director, Robert Lee Benson, who came to the Dor-Abby district in 1962, to build a choir which proved a source of great pride to the community as well as the entire state. This choir was the only high school musical group from Wisconsin to perform at the New York World’s Fair. To help preserve the memory of this event a record of the talented group was made during its performance.

 

Source: Abbotsford Centennial Book – 1973, pg. 24-28